Sunday best

It's really difficult to get great (or even good) pictures of my boys. Trying to get them all in one shot is usually impossible. They might not all be smiling or looking at the camera but atleast they're dapper little dudes.

Our recent adventure in home-owning was (is, I should say, we're not done) in the backyard. Since our home is on a rather steep hill we have a nice swampland in our backyard. Maybe the state should buy our property from us and turn it into a bird haven. So we're digging a giant trench in the mud and will lay some pipes to help encourage the puddles to flow to the street rather than under our house. It's muddy business but the little boys love it and we've had fun finding lots of worms. This one measured 9 inches!

Rub-a-dub-dub

Three boys in the tub. Isaiah used to scream when I gave him baths. Which is funny because the other two boys loved baths as babies. Coincidentally, Isaiah is the only boy who was actually born in a bathtub. But since he's been sitting well on his own, Isaiah's been thrown into the tub with the big boys and has had a change of heart regarding baths.

This is a tart I made for our Sabbath tomorrow. It has a chocolate crust and a caramel-almond filling with chocolate criss-crossed on top. I'll serve it with almond flavored whipped cream. I hope it tastes as good as it looks and sounds. I've gotta (try) to keep up with my lil-sis - http://infoodweindulge.wordpress.com/

Picnic weather

It's been snowing, a lot. Which means that surely it is spring on the Palouse, since that's what it does here till summer. So we needed a pick-me-up picnic to cheer these tired souls. Actually, the truth of the matter is that I steam cleaned the upholstery on our kitchen chairs, so we couldn't sit at the table for lunch.

Jack was quite dubious at first about this new arrangement. Patrick, however, thinks that eating on the floor is quite natural.

But Jack came around and even said cheese for the camera.

Patrick thinks all food tastes better on the floor.

And isn't he cute.

Cozy jail cell?

I finally finished up the boys' room. By finished, I mean I painted it and sewed curtains (lined with room darkening fabric!) I'd still like to get a new bookshelf and eventually bunks and new quilts. Emphasis on eventually.

Let's take a look at that PB face under magnification.

And this cute face is what happens when big brothers leave graham crackers lying around.

Winter days are here again

My blog titles often mention the weather in some way. It feels like such a cop-out to talk about the weather on my blog. But our lives are pretty strictly regulated by what's going on outdoors.

Patrick, however, does not let this keep him from goofing around with no pants on and galoshes. I'm really looking forward to when it's warm enough to let the boys play in nothing but their diapers. Easy clean-up and oh so cute.

Another "fort" in a not-so-convenient spot. Jack's really into forts these days.

And this little guy just turned 7 months. He's sitting on his own and just yesterday started to roll over (just from tummy to back.) And he's loving solids - if you can call pureed peas and rice cereal "solid."

Saturday

Here's some more proof that Patrick does indeed wear his backpack all day everyday. A shirt, however, is optional.

"Help!"

Convenient spot for a fort.

And this is the conclusion to yesterday's picture of the handles. No Dad, I was not attaching handles to a cloth diaper to help me rinse them in the toilet :-) I bought some vintage brass cabinet handles on ebay and spent many hours polishing them up. Though it's hard to tell what they look like in this pic, they are quite spiffy. I'm still on the lookout for knobs. Of course, the cute baby in the foreground far outshines the handles.

"Homework"

The boys like to play "homework" - usually it involves playdough. This particular day it involved the pegboard. Yes, that is a backpack Patrick is wearing. He only takes it off to sleep and bath.

Jack came up to me like this and said "I'm a princess!" Guess I don't need a daughter now.

Looking good, baby!

And this is my latest project. Doesn't look like much here, but maybe I'll have a picture of the finished product in another day or two.